The Prodigy And The Hime
by ContrivedCoffee
Summary: At the end of their union, when death did them apart just like how they had been made to swear it would, she knew that what had existed between them all along wasn't love, but almost. He loved her, but always knew that she loved another. Love;their most potent form of self-harm. NejiHina
1. -Blind hate innocence endures

**Konnichiwa! This fic ia a NejiHina, don't like, don't read. And for all the bakas crying incest right now, stop it and open google( Or Bing, if you're like me and love Windows too much for your own good)**

 **step 2- Type the term 'cousincest'**

 **step 3- Read what shows up**

 **Last time I checked, the results definitely were something along the lines of," Cousincest is but a SLANG used in modern English, and a liason between cousins DOES NOT qualify as incest as their offspring have a very NORMAL 96% chance of being perfectly healthy humans".**

 **So like I said above, if this pairing bites your ass the wrong way, DONT READ IT, AND FIND SOMETHING ELSE THAT SUITES YOUR PREFERENCES BETTER.**

 **THERE. GOLDEN RULES of Fanfiction.**

 **Whew! Moving on on a more progressive route, this is going to be a sombre, angsty story, and is going to be divided into 3 parts. TPATH explores the kaleidoscope of diverse emotions that rise to the surface when life makes sure that _' It wasn't love, but_ almost...', and the actions it leads to, the feelings and opinions you suddenly find yourself possessing in the midst of the fray. The first part mainly focuses on the relationship of Neji and Hinata in their childhood years, and how it went from childish innocence to unreasonable and unprovoked hate and disgust on Neji's part. It finally shows him coming to terms with himself and heeding the voice deep down within him, that had always told him that Hinata was more easily loved than hated. And that's just the first part, so buckle up for one hell of an emotional tsunami through the full story. I expect it to reach 10K words by the end.**

 **Love you guys, and stick with me, UPDATES WILL BE QUICK!**

 **MORE REVIEWS,FOLLOWS,FAVES etc.= MORE STORIES, MORE EFFORT AND QUICKER UPDATES.**

 **If you're a NH fan already, enjoy. If you aren't, prepare to be converted. Not too many equations between the two in this chapter( they're still kids) but there's a hell lot of it to come. This chap's a bit slow, but slow starts are quite common, the base has to be set properly for the rest of the story to take off.**

 **Alright then, enough chatter, and let's get going!**

* * *

 _In that book which is_  
 _My memory..._  
 _On the first page_  
 _That is the chapter when_  
 _I met you_  
 _Appear the words-_  
 _Here begins a new life._  
 _\- Adapted From La Vita Nuovita_

* * *

THE PRODIGY AND THE HIME

He was 4. She was 3  
" Who is that girl, otousan? She is cute. And her daddy looks just like you..."  
Innocent words uttered what will seem like eons ago, oblivious to what the future would bring.  
" She Is the Heir, Hyuuga Hinata-sama. You are to be her protector." His father had replied with a distant look on his features.

An hour later tears were flowing down his cheeks, while he held his head in his hands, fingers caressing the new searing green brand on his forehead.  
 _"What is happening? Why? It hurts so much",_ were the first coherent thoughts his four year old mind was able to make sense of, once the pain had reduced to a dull throb.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Still 3. Still 4.  
" He was so young..."  
" His boy is only four"  
" How cruel..."  
Empty words from meaningless condolences resounded through the winter's night. Neji kneeled by his father's coffin, unable to understand how fate could be so unrelentingly merciless with him. The snow laden winds outside the mourning hall blew in through the ornately tapestried curtained door, chilling him to the core. An hollow, empty feeling beginning to traverse him, refusing to dispel.  
Your father died to protect the Main Family. He was the heir's protector, it was his duty. He remembered his mother's words the day before, before she had slumped into a corner of the room, heavy sobs wracking through her limp body.  
He was far too young to fully comprehend anything other than the death of his father. He quietly grieved.  
Listening to the panicked fluttering of the mourning lantern outside until it fell on to the porch, too weak against the winds, it felt like the world was mocking him.  
He never noticed a young girl standing alone outside pick it up and place a few pebbles inside it's folds before hanging it up on it's rightful place again, this time stronger to face the world.

~.~.~.~.~.~

She is 11. He is 12

He stood in a secluded wooded area near the training ground 10. He had newly graduated from the academy as top rookie, and had been placed in Team Ten under Maito Gai. Neji saw her walking home from the academy on the path by the woods, her timid head bowed and fingers fidgeting with each other. Her family wrecked mine... This realization had gradually hit him as he had grown older. He hated her. Hated the fact that he had to protect her. Hated that he could end up dying a dog's death for her sake, the way his father had died for her's. The main family was the at the root of his misery. Her very existence had condemned his free will.  
" Neji! Where are you? Gai-sensei is here."  
Tenten's cries halted the savage 'observation' of the Hyuuga girl. He shook his head at the weak form walking on, before turning away and heading back to the grounds, where two overly hyper men in viridescent spandex and a rather exasperated girl with bunned hair were awaiting him.  
His hate for her was completely unwarranted, for it was no fault of hers. At the back of his mind, he knew this, and yet his conscience subtly chose to ignore the harsh ramifications of that fact... He had enough on his plate.

~.~.~.~.~.~

She is 13. He is 14.

" I advise you to give up and go home, Hinata-sama. Before you get _very_ hurt..."  
"...Neji-niisan..."  
It was the second part of Round two at the Chuunin exams. The winner of that match would proceed to the finals. The rules were such that killing was allowed if a give up or "maita" was not given on time to attest submission.  
Fate had crossed Hyuuga with Hyuuga to battle to the end. They stood facing each other in the combat area. Gekko Hayate, the referee, quietly watched on as the two Hyuuga grasped the reality of what occur minutes from then.  
" Truth be told, Hinata-sama, you are just a spoiled brat of the Main house." Every syllable he spoke in that low intonation was laced with the truest macabre. "You could never even begin to imagine what real _helplessness_ is; like a child left out to the wolves, like a moth drawn far too close to a flame... Never mind, you'll know soon enough now... You came here only because your teammates wished to take the exam, not out of your own desire. Am I wrong?"  
"You're wrong! I j-just...I..."  
He looked her straight in the eye; while a network of purple-blue chakra infused veins began to slowly inch in to form and heavily stand out around his own orbs, framing them terrifyingly. His opalescent irisises contracted, pupils far more pronounced- It was the famed Byakugan in all its glory.  
" These eyes of mine have seen many things, Hinata-sama. The kind you could never even think of. They know that you suffer. And now, it is clear that you are afraid. The way your trembling hands try to shield your person, the way your pupils dilate, everything- an aura of pure cowardice encapsulates you. And most of all, the way you have observed your current situation and already deduced that you may die right here... _Am I wrong_?"  
" P-please... I-I only-"  
"Oh, save those excuses for the dogs that serve you back home. The fact of the matter remains that you are weak. A disgrace to the Hyuuga, a slap in the face to your Main family. You deserve the harsh answers you receive, because you have failed your father. A person like you is to be heir, to be superior to the likes of me? That goes to proves that I do not have a say in my fate, because of you and your accursed line. But..."  
Neji smirked, a look of what could only be described as a promise of death in his expression, and Hinata's eyes pooled with fresh tears.  
" What happens here, is going to be entirely in my hands. You know that, Hinata-sama. The fate you suffer here shall be fully deserved, as you are unable to even defend yourself against a Branch member! That is all the Soke views me to be. Of course they will have quite conveniently forgotten by now that my father, your uncle, gave his life to protect your father's. Too much for their precious brains to recall, eh? Not a soul will validate my abilities, preferring to label the cause of your defeat to save face in Konoha to be 'unforeseen and faultless errors' by their precious heiress, instead of the truth that you are weak, and I a prodigy!"  
" Neji-niisan! Onegai...no..."  
" Prepare yourself to face the inevitable, you cowardly-"  
" HEY! You stop that RIGHT NOW!"  
Uzumaki's furious reproach resounded across the hall.  
" You have no right to judge her, you complete BAKA! Hinata, say something, its making the people watching angry. BEAT HIM UP!"  
Silence.  
 _What a noisy kid_.  
Almost instantly, the way the girl stood changed. Her head dipped, eyes hidden beneath low indigo bangs; and her shoulders stopped wavering. She was still.  
 _" Arigato, Naruto-kun",_ she thought, before raising her head, tears gone and her own bloodline limit fully activated. There was not a trace of apprehension in those lavender-white orbs; body poised in the traditional Hyuuga fight stance.  
I've never seen her with eyes like that.  
" Let us fight, Neji-niisan!"  
" So be it."  
Swathes and bursts of luminescent chakra emanated as blow after blow of Jyuuken was exchanged. A clash between Byakugans, a battle of blood on blood; call it what you may- something like this was never seen twice, Neji unrelenting and Hinata never backing down.  
The Byakugan showed it's true awe striking abilities as a dojutsu, as spectators stared breath taken at the display of this almost transcendental form of hiden taijutsu.  
And that was when he struck, an action that brought so much irreversible destruction to both.  
 _" 8 trigrams! Sixty-four palms!"_  
She froze, letting out a gasp of pain after the first blow had been delivered.  
 _" Four palms!"_  
She stumbled backward.  
 _" Eight Palms!"_  
Her hands dropped limp to her sides.  
 _" Sixteen Palms!"_  
Her Byakugan wore away. Her eyes rolled backward, lids dropping.  
 _" Thirty-two palms!"_  
Somehow, she still remained standing, but her bruised hands tried to shield her chest from another visceral attack, face contorted in anguish.  
 _"Sixty-four Palms!"_  
She coughed up blood on the back of Neji's wrapped hand, which was poised dangerously at her neck having finished the last of the brutal assault, before finally falling backwards, eyes closed and mouth bleeding.  
He calmly wiped his knuckles, not sparing her battered form as much as a second glance before turning back and remarking almost casually," Hayate-san, this fight is over."  
The jounin proctor ignored the chills traversing his spine at having witnessed such a senseless display of power by a boy towards his own cousin, and cleared his throat.  
"Um...Alright, shoshan- Hyuuga Neji."  
"W-wait..."  
The atmosphere of acceptance that had settled in the wake of her loss changed into one of utter disbelief.  
Hinata slowly clambered off the ground onto trembling knees, gasping for air and coughing in the attempt.  
" H-Hinata...How?" Kurenai, her jounin sensei, exclaimed, looking on over the shocked faces by the stands.  
Neji glared at her. " Hinata-sama, you cannot fight anymore. I have blocked all of your 361 tenketsu, completely jamming your chakra system. If you cannot use chakra, you cannot fight. You shouldn't be able to stand. Go home, this is not the place for mock bravado."  
She let out a grim smile, and shook her head. " I have suffered a lot, Neji niisan. More than you think. But I do not go back on my word, and most certainly not in front of those I admire".  
She spared a glance to the balcony and gently smiled at Naruto, who stood watching with his mouth hanging open.  
 _So she likes him_ , Neji understood.  
" And t-that is why I shall f-fight until I am unable to, knowing that I have done enough".  
He shot her a truculent stare." This one act of courage isn't going to change you. The reality remains that I am strong, and you just suffer. So-"  
"I-I think that y-you are w-wrong niisan."  
Hinata struggled onto her feet, still coughing, and said, looking the intransigent boy in the eyes," Y-you are t-the one caught between the m-main and branch house, b-because of your abilities,not quite branch but not main either. A-and you no longer know w-where y-you should belong. And that is w-why you suffer, even more than me. That, is the reality you cannot hide, nii-san".  
There was utter silence.  
Shock had momentarily silenced her opponent.  
The calm before a storm.  
And then it began.  
"Why you-" He screamed, and hurled himself toward her, hand raised, murder in his kekkei genkai.  
" Stop!" Hayate called out frantically." This match has been already been called!".  
The boy, blind with fury, ignored him.  
There was a sudden explosion and a cloud of thick smoke engulfed the scene.  
The spectating shinobi gasped when it lifted, for there stood Hyuuga Neji, restrained by four jounins; Hayate's palm at his forehead protector, Kurenai clutching his left elbow, Gai with a headlock round his neck and Kakashi tightly grasping his forearm which was dangerously close to Hinata's throat.  
"Neji, you made a passionate promise to your team that you wouldn't argue about the Main family. So revere your youthful spirit and keep it." Gai, his sensei, rasped against his ear.  
" Release me! Why must the Main family get special privileges?", He struggled against his restrainers.  
Kurenai, with her ruby-like gaze unbenevolent , gave him an ultimatum," There are no "special" privileges, this fight has been called; and attacking after that is illegal. You have already won; show some dignity and honour the abilities of your opponent, it is unbecoming for someone from a clan as honourable as yours to do otherwise. Compose yourself now, or you shall be disqualified and this match declared void."  
He loosened against his bonds, and shut his eyes, breathing laboured.  
"Hinata!", the crimson eyed kunoichi gasped, for the girl had fallen to the floor again, and was convulsing; coughing and spluttering blood, the scarlet fluid splattering her clothes and the floor.  
Kurenai rushed forward and knelt beside her, Kakashi close behind, and put two fingers to her pulse point.  
"It's shallow", she said, turning to Kakashi. "Get the medics NOW!"  
The masked jounin hurried away, and Hinata's teammates rushed down to her side.  
The Hyuuga victor stood by forgotten, and his eyes shot open, searching for the one he'd so decisively ruined.  
Hinata lay sprawled on the stone floor, blood surrounding her like a satanic halo and staining her worn gear.  
 _Had he gone too far?_  
The first wave of penitence hit him like nausea.  
 _Why am I bothered? She has brought nothing but misery to me, the impudent girl.._ , he tried to reason with himself, but in vain, as a horrible, sinking feeling engulfed him as he watched her small, limp form being carried onto a stretcher by two men in medi-nin suits.  
" It is hard to predict anything right now; the child is critical. Pray for her, we shall have our head medics on her case immediately", he caught one of them telling Kurenai.  
What had he done?  
His remorse ridden emotions abruptly came to a halt, for then Uzumaki Naruto insulted him, and touching Hinata's blood which had fallen onto the floor, pointed a fist at him, and exclaimed, " I swear on what happened here today that I will beat you in the final rounds! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and this is a promise, believe it!"  
He did not take the rookie he believed to be a talentless dropout seriously, and boy, would he regret it...

~.~.~.~.~.~.

Always 13. Always 14.

It was the day after the chuunin exam finals. Grief had settled on the Land of Fire. The sandaime Hokage had perished at the hands of Orochimaru, sacrificing his life to protect his village. The S-class rouge nin had orchestrated the Konoha crush, a dubious unsuccessful plan to destroy the leaf village; a snake-like shinobi who had no human left within him. His subordinate, Yakushi Kabuto and him, had secretly assassinated Suna's Kazekage, taking his place and conning his people into the invasion. The country, the village and the state of clans were affected and in chaos, but strangely, his life had never been more clear.  
He'd been defeated in the finals. The blond jinnchuuriki had triumphed. The chances of that had been ridiculously against him, and yet he had won. And the words he had said to Neji before that had changed his life forever.  
" All I know is you're being a little bitch, Neji... I can and will prove you wrong. All this fate and destiny talk is SHIT! You're supposed to be a genius, aren't you? THEN ACT LIKE ONE!"  
And then he'd succeeded; cementing the proof to his beliefs. Defying sky high odds against him, against all the stereotypes of being a dropout and village idiot the world had labelled him to be.  
Defying Neji.  
And in that moment, he knew..  
Suffering wasn't indomitable.  
He had been liberated by loss.  
Destiny didn't matter.

~.~.~

END OF PART 1

 **A review would be nice, my loves. See you next chapter!**

 **Yours truly,**

 **ByakuganProdigy**


	2. Her vain dreams his sins reveal

**Konnichiwa my lovely readers! And so I'm back with chapter 2, and I assure you that its a hell lot better than the first one. But the third one, damn, its the real shit, my best work. Don't like; dont read, don't flame, because IT REALLY SUCKS when you work super hard on something and trolls decide to crap all over it just because the main characters don't agree with their fragile egos. So now that that's said and done, lots of love to my NejiHina shippers and open-minded liberals, and please do ENJOY chapter two of The Prodigy And The Hime!**

 **DISCLAIMER: The usual. I'm NOT Masashi Kishimoto trapped in the body of a high school nerd and I certainly can't afford lawyers, so don't worry about me trying to mess with the world.**

* * *

 _The caged bird sings_  
 _With a fearful trill_  
 _Of things unknown_  
 _But longed for still._  
 _And his cries heard_  
 _On distant hills._  
 _That, for the caged bird_  
 _Sings of freedom._

 _\- Maya Angelou_

* * *

She is 14. He is 15.

 _" Nii-san, Naruto-kun has gone away now, but he will return;and when he does, I want to be strong, I want to walk stride for stride by his side- I WANT TO BE HIS EQUAL. Please train me, nii-san. Please. I know I can offer you nothing in return. But as a request from a fellow Hyuuga shinobi, please take on this burden for your little sister."_  
Not one stutter, not a trace of the usual self-autocannibalizing hesitation. That was the first thing he realized.  
 _" You aren't my sister."_  
 _" S-Sumanai, I-I didn't -"_  
Well, it was certainly back. He didn't like it. Not one bit. He continued-  
 _"But you are in fact, a comrade_. _Even a friend, I dare say, now that time has shelved our differences. I will train you."_

 _"Really?! Arigato gozaimasta!"_  
She clapped her hands together like a small child, still cherubic face rosy in joy as she hopped back and forth on her heels. Even his stoic mask relented before her that moment, as he allowed himself a small smile.  
She quickly caught herself and resumed her aristocratic etiquette once again, muttering a barely audible,"gomen" before awkwardly standing up as tall as her physique allowed her and thanking him yet again, this time a coy, crimson blush heavily staining the pale skin of her cheeks.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

She is 16. He is 17.

" Have you heard, my legendary rival, that the leaf's pride, it's shine, _Uzumaki Naruto_ , has finally returned?"  
The hyper almost-man in that horrid spandex was leaping up and down on his feet in all his everlasting concupiscence, bursting to tell at least somebody about the fresh new talk of the town.  
Neji stiffened, and feigned knowing. "I am aware, Lee."

 _It's about time, Uzumaki. You better be up to her expectations. You have no idea how hard she has worked just for you._

Bruised face, scarred body, broken bones; she had battled through it all with her goal clearly infused in mind and heart.  
Waking up so sore that Hanabi had had to help her get dressed, barely sleeping after working herself through half the night, completely forgetting about meals. This had been going on strong before he finally found out and ordered her to ease her training. He would spare half a day every week to demonstrate a new waza or drill, and she would work on mastering it while he was away on frequent missions that came with his _Konoha no jounin_ status. She would've worked herself to death had she been allowed to carry on with that harmful approach.  
Stupid. Absurd. Unrealistic.  
Yet somehow...overall, an amazing, welcome change.  
Like a breath of fresh air.  
Charming, Hinata. Charming.

•~~~~~~~•  
 _" B-because, Naruto-kun... I love you."_  
It had been three months since then. Since Pein had attacked the village. Completely flattened it.  
So Naruto had flattened Pein.  
Simple?  
No.  
Not to her, at least. The rest of Konoha was over the invasion; the allied lands were preparing for war against Uchiha Madara.  
She had rushed in like a blind fool, controlled by limerance, unable to just watch when the only man she had ever loved grew mortally wounded. She had given it all she had, but even her twin lion fists, the ultimate epitome of perfect chakra control, had not even scratched Pein. Instead Naruto had watched her get flipped ten feet into the air before being slammed headfirst into the ground. And then proceed to get stabbed through the middle with an iron rod.  
The only saving grace of her pathetic attempt at playing hero was that after witnessing what he believed to be her killing, Naruto had lost all control over his emotions and the demon fox's cloak had been unleashed.  
That was how he'd triumphed.  
Now what?  
Three months, yet the village's hero led his life like he'd never even heard her confession, let alone acknowledged it. Surely he could have spared a minute to talk to her about it? Call it an unreasonable hormone-spiked fantasy, but this was Hinata. She had loved the man for more than half her life, almost died for him. This was no 'weekly fling'. Her conscience told her that she deserved an answer, no matter how occupied the person in question was. But again, this was still Hinata, and in her infinite patience, she subtly chose to ignore it.  
 _He's just ...busy. Maybe, one day, when all this is over_...  
Stupid. How _abysmally_ stupid, Hinata.  
Strange how even the slightest slivers of hope can keep unrequited, _foolish_ love going so long.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

She is 17. He is 18.

Tears.  
Funny little enigmas, aren't they?  
Hot against her pale skin, salty when they seeped onto her lips. Terribly so.  
Scientifically, they're only supposed to exist to protect the cornea.  
Then why did hers seem to escape the confines of her irises in such extremity all the time?  
She grieved, she despaired.  
A stark contrast to what occurred outside the four walls of her bedroom.  
The war over. The shinobi alliance had won. Ninja returned to their respective villages, and it was _his_ name that every surviving shinobi now revered with love and pride.  
Uzumaki Naruto.  
She sobbed harder.  
She tried to be happy for them, the lord knows she did.  
But in the end, she is all but human.  
She sees, she feels.  
She crashes and burns.  
She wishes to escape from the noose that is her mind.  
No one can blame her.  
Thirteen years of love can hardly be forgotten in a single moment of realization, after all.  
She had dressed in her finest blue kimono, done her hair up the best she could and hurried out to the rejoicing villagers' festival that evening. To finally see her Naruto-kun.  
The war was over right? They could be _that_ finally.  
She had expected to be welcomed with open arms tand love.  
Nobody loved him more unconditionally than she did, that was but the truth, was it not? Patience and prayers never failed, did they?  
He had heard her, known her emotions.  
Wrong.  
How it felt to be kicked in the face by fate, over and over, one could ask her now.  
 _Love...her most potent form of self-harm._  
~•~•~•~•~•~-~•

 _She entered the celebratory street square._  
 _He saw her._  
 _He almost forgot where he was; for the only thing he saw was her._  
 _It never ceased to amaze him how pure, refined and TRUE her beauty was._  
 _Like an uncut, yet refined crystal._  
 _Like the sheen of still lake water._  
 _Like winter's first snowflake._  
 _And the obliviously innocent, chaste girl never even knew._  
 _She was the recipient of many a lecherous stare. He felt something unpleasant coil through his senses. He felt an animalistic desire to protect, to mark what was his._  
 _But only it wasn't._  
 _She belonged heart and soul to another._  
 _That was the way it was._  
 _But that didn't change the fact that he had grown to possess a certain emotion toward her the he couldn't put a name on._  
 _It definitely wasn't brotherly instinct._  
 _Sometimes it was kindness; sometimes it was unconditional trust._  
 _Sometimes it was tenderness; the others it was...unbridled lust._  
 _She was greeted by her teammate, what was his name? Er, the Inuzuka? She returned the formality almost impatiently before hastily apologizing and excusing herself, but not before inquiring where a certain "N-naruto-kun" was._  
 _He found it astounding how this girl, no, woman, who would carry the world's burden on her fragile shoulders to preserve kindness and consideration to every soul she met was so easily converted from her nature by the first sign of that idiotic man's presence._  
 _Her friend could only awkwardly laugh and scratch his head before gesturing to the right of the heavily decorated market square._  
 _She clumsily hurried forward on inexperienced stilettos, still unable to refrain from appearing like a deer in headlights._  
 _Her feet came to a stop. She smiled, her posture relaxed. She had finally found who she had been waiting for her entire life._  
 _" N-naru-"_  
 _She gasped, her hands lifting to her face to hide the fact that her mouth was holding back a sob, and stumbled backwards._  
 _His mind was on overdrive, he was as shocked as her._  
 _His heart told him him to go help her, to take her away from that despondent sight._  
 _She didn't deserve what she saw._  
 _The fool didn't deserve her._  
 _But his brain didn't let him. It refused to let his feet move._  
 _So he didn't._  
 _Because he couldn't._  
 _The blond teenager had reached new levels of utter idiocy in his book. He didn't even notice her. The only thing he did was grab the rosette beauty on his arm by the hips, hands obscenely close to her rear, and start kissing her forcefully. She responded with just as much zeal._  
 _The few people around only sighed, or worse, whistled._  
 _They broke apart, and after a bout of panting, he finally noticed her presence. " Ah, Hinata-chan! It's been a while. Nice to see you after so long! Me and Sakura are a thing, in case you were wondering just now, heh heh... She finally realized that teme was gay. Funny, eh? We're getting married next- Hey, where are you going? Hinata-chan!"_  
 _She turned. And left._  
 _The idiot and his bitch never noticed how violently her body convulsed, or how her hands held her face and furiously wiped against her cheeks. She dropped her purse, but didn't stop. Her haori slipped off her shuddering shoulders and her obi came loose._  
 _" Hey wait-"_  
 _But she had already disappeared._  
 _" Oi, Sakura...maybe I should go give her purse back, she left it-"_  
 _" There's no need for that."_  
 _" Neji my man! You have one bomb ass cousin, though she's a bit-"_  
 _" Do not slander the Hyuga-hime, Naruto. She has enough in her to put you in hospital for a month. Give me her belonging, I'll return it."_  
 _The jinnchuriki blanched at the harsh reproach and handed the purse over without further discussion. Neji was one person he certainly didn't wish to pick a fight with._  
 _Neji's fingers involuntarily twitched and a slight shiver ran up his forearm as his palm came in contact with the article; the feel of its touch, its appearance, the way it had been cared for... Everything screamed 'Hinata!'._  
 _After all, only something that belonged to her could make his insides clench that way,and that too just by the dulcet fragrance that softly hung over it, one only he knew to associate with her._  
 _He left the ceremony, the silk of his solemn black yukata sliding against his skin in the winds._  
 _Quandary and a certain level of grief plagued him._  
 _He had but one true lament._  
 _He wished he could have gone and reversed time, to change what had happened in the blink of an eye, what had morphed his entire life so drastically... so that he could have saved Hyuga Hiashi, who had died to protect him in the war. Hiashi had pushed Neji out of the way, who had tried to cover Hinata, who had in turn foolishly attempted to block the Jyuubi's concentrated assault from reaching Naruto with her own body, seeing no other choice._  
 _The clan leader gave his life to save that of a Bunke member's._  
 _What an uproar it had caused._  
 _Some clan elders blamed him, the others praised him, like that was any better. Why? They said that his military skills and prodigy status had compelled the clan head to weigh Neji's life above his own for the Hyuga future._  
 _Besotted nepotists had forgotten that the man had been his uncle._  
 _He still remembered Hiashi's last words._  
 _" Brother... I am free from your debt now."_  
 _Shitload of things that could mean, eh?_  
 _" Hyuga Hiashi...what a great legacy you've set for me to live. Great work sending your blessings from six feet under.." Neji inwardly reticed, and a small, regretful smile that was more of a grimace laced his aristocratic features." I am hopelessly, sinfully in love with your daughter, with whom I don't have a prayer of having more than THIS; the elders are only increasingly impatient to rid themselves of the interim and place a new permanent heir... It will be either of your daughters, but Hanabi was always the favoured one here after you left. As for Hinata...she may be married off in a few years... I overheard Hirudate proposing a matrimonial alliance last clan meeting with the Kazekage, of all people...what am I to do, Uncle? My life had no meaning but learning to commit sin and bear misery until I began to feel for her. But what? God knows not but to play with my life..."_  
 _And then, for the first time in fifteen years...he felt the sharp prick of tears flood against his Byakugan._  
 _Sheer lovelorn malaise was starting to get the better of him._  
 _" I am TIRED, SO, SO TIRED, OF HURTING WHEN THE ONE DAMAGED IS HER."_  
 _The choked sob left his throat strained and frustrated, face contorted. Not one soul saw the inner turmoil and agony that had finally risen to the surface, the dark streets were empty. "IS THAT WHAT YOU CALL LOVE, UNCLE? IS THAT IT?!"_

 _"Because if it is...it is nothing but my most potent form of self-harm."_

 _~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~._

END OF PART TWO

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	3. United we fell

**There. Done.**

 **You might want to keep a couple tissues handy for this one, I tell you first hand.**

 **And a tip to all writers out there, Game of Thrones music is really good stimulus for tragic tales.**

 **Enjoy, then.**

 **And don't ignore the poetry, its really good.**

* * *

From childhood's hour I have not been

As others were; I have not seen

As others saw; I could not bring

My passions from a common spring.

From the same source I have not taken

My sorrow; I could not awaken

My heart to joy at the same tone;

And all I loved; I loved alone.

Then- in my childhood, in the dawn

Of a most stormy life- was drawn

From every depth of good and ill

The mystery which binds me still:

From the torrent, or the fountain,

From the red cliff of the mountain,

From the sun that round me rolled

In its autumn tint of gold,

From the lightning in the sky

As it passed me flying by,

From the thunder and the storm,

And the cloud that took the form

(When the rest of Heaven was blue)

Of a demon in my view.

* * *

She is 20. He is 21.

" You know, Neji nii-san, maybe death isn't so bad after all." She finally said, nothing but acceptance in her demeanour now.  
They stood by the compound's courtyard, the quickly receding orange-red rays of the setting sun falling over them. The clan session had just been adjourned. Hanabi had refused to take over. Hinata was to retain her position as heir, but marry first in order to ascend. An ungainly new rule that fooled nobody. The elders had always made it clear that they found her unassertive, too pacifistic to lead, and would rather accept the leadership of an outsider than her.  
She could do nothing but nod and sign a contract that she hadn't even read, and asking to do so would have been pronounced crass.  
" Why on earth would you say that?"  
" When your death is the only aspect of your existence you seem have control over, it hardly seems so unappealing now, does it?"  
 _Neji had known a man who would have agreed._  
" It is only marriage, Hinata-sama. Not your own personalized guillotine."  
" Marriage...? Isn't that supposed to be a union of _love_? _Limerance_? When have I ever received it, nii-san?"  
 _You receive it everyday_.  
" A union with a man I have never seen, heard, known... But when has anything ever gone the way I hoped it would? This is all but natural now. The Lord's force of habit."

 _Every Hour_

" In the end, I am nothing but the Hyugan namesake. Meant to be handed to a stranger when I come of age, to be impregnated and used as an incubator, and only hope that my offspring bears a byakugan, or have it terminated before it sees the light of day. Divorce and disownment if I dare refuse."  
 _Every minute; every second._  
" Not love, nii-san. Lust for as long as my shell is desirable; acknowledgement if my loyalties remain straight. But love? Never love."  
 _Even now._  
She shook her head, a pained smile on her face.  
 _You're too beautiful to be hurt like that._  
" I've been far too pained in the past to attempt _love_ again."  
 _The word that defined his emotions slid of her tongue with what could only be described as disgust._

" The only thing I dare hope now is that I'm not raped on the night of my wedding."

 _She had already ruined him._

•~•~•~•~•

" We have decided to entertain three men, Hinata-hime. Any more and the clan would look desperate. If neither of them are viable... the council shall decide its next move at a later date. Is that alright with the hime?"  
 _Does anybody care?_  
"Y-yes."  
" Then you are dismissed."

The first man, was, simply put, too darn old; well into sexagenarian hood.  
Neji had done a double take at his arrival.  
The elders had practically hyperventilated when they caught sight of him, and had tried very hard to appear polite when they vigorously questioned him about the rather, ah, stark difference between the photographs he had sent and his actual age and appearance. The lewd grandpa had only guffawed and said that he had a ton of money to shell out and wouldn't mind blowing some on a clan if he could 'smash a young thang.'  
Three shinobi had been needed to restrain Neji from gentle fisting the pervert then and there into the coffin once and for all.

Proposal two was also wealthy; a head shorter than the heiress but having a très grande ego.  
He had waltzed into the compound like he'd owned the place, thrown wine onto an elder's robes, trampled all over Hinata's feet when he had forced her to dance and then proceed to drunkenly shower obscenities all over the clansmen. All that before passing out in a pool of his own vomit. Not a good look.

The third suitor seemed perfect.  
He was fetchingly handsome, kind, modest. A swashbuckling young man from an influential clan who knew when to kiss her hand and exactly how to amaze the council.  
She had even begun to believe that their future relationship would be amicable, when sudden news arrived that he had eloped with a secret lover that his family hadn't been aware of. The lover was a man, they said.  
"Well, at least he _had_ a lover," were her musings that day.

With all options exhausted, an emergency clan meeting was called. Elders argued and debated in an uncivilized manner about her situation like she wasn't even present.  
The hall was a chaos of splenetic contradictions and yells.  
" Well I say we marry her of to suitor 1, there was nothing wrong-"  
" Shut up Hiruka. Nothing wrong? What would the village say if its strongest clan's heiress were married off to a man thrice her own years? We would be a laughingstock!"  
" Yet, Hirudate, you've seen the other available proposal. What choi-"  
" Don't even get me started on the issue of reproduction! The man is too old, their offspring wouldn't be healthy."  
" But Hiru-"  
" The topic is closed. I still say we try to negotiate with the Kazekage."  
" That's impossible now, and you know it. We need the heiress and her spouse in Konoha, in order to enable the clan to oversee the future heirs. That's hardly going to happen if the groom is the _Kazekage_ , is it? If a trade alliance with Suna is necessary, we still have Hanabi-hime."  
He could only sit and watch as the geezers spoke about her and Hanabi like cattle up for trade and breeding. His jaw clenched, he kept his balled fists under the table and head low.  
Now was not the time for an outburst.  
Hinata's face remained impassive, but her eyes reflected the frustration she felt. She could only stare at her lap and keep silent while self-absorbed people who didn't care for her well-being made all the decisions for her life.  
" ORDER ELDERS."  
The interim head, Hyuga Hisoka-sama, banged his fist upon the low ebony table, causing everyone in the vicinity start.  
" I think, at this point, it shall be most productive to go ahead with the drastic measures we had coined last session. A vote for confirmation shall be taken by the seniors. The junior Bunke and Soke members, kindly take your leave now, you shall be summoned in a bit."  
Almost gladly, the two sisters and Neji, followed by around five others, left the room to wait outside.  
 _Drastic measures? What nightmares do they have planned for her now?_  
They could hear the rise and fall of a few strained voices from within.  
" But Hisoka their chil-"  
" Don't you have basic knowledge...healthy offspring...no risk...it is highly possible."  
 _Were they seriously discussing biological_ _workings in there?_  
He was certainly relieved that Hinata was outside now.  
He spared the woman a glance. She sat on a bench parallel to the wall, her arms folded and fingers fidgeting with her obi. Hanabi had placed an arm around her shoulders. They both waited, sombre like lambs before slaughter.  
She was just twenty, her sibling barely fifteen. They shouldn't have to deal with all this. Their life was a massive, sulphurous mess. And honestly, they faced it with more fortitude than anybody else could have.  
"...That's it. All...in favour?"  
Looks like they were almost done. He gestured toward the sisters to rise. They exchanged looks and complied. Hinata smoothened down the front of her yukata.  
Right on cue, one of the elders stepped out of the room and beckoned for them to come in.  
Quite surprisingly all the members of council were silent. Most seemed satisfied with whatever had gone down, but a handful barely concealed looks of discontent and rage.  
" Please sit down, Neji-sama, Hinata-sama, Hanabi-sama". Hisoka gestured to their empty seats.  
 _Neji...'sama'? What?_  
Hisoka waited for them to settle, before clearing his throat and beginning. " Viewing the circumstances and the, er, lack of fulfilment of criteria by the three handpicked suitors, the council has come to an alternate, and, I daresay, far more desirable solution; one that guarantees the future heirs the byakugan and Hyuga title. By a majority vote of 17-3, the council requests Hyuga Neji, prodigy of the Bunke, to take Hyuga Hinata-hime to be his wife."

 _Isn't this what you've always wanted?_  
 _Isn't this your utopia?_  
 _Oh, it is._  
 _Change her. You will._  
 _Teach her to love again. You will._  
 _Be her reason for existing. You will._  
 _Own her._

 _Its about time she stops calling me 'nii-san' then_.

" I accept."

~.~.

How could she even have dreamt of him needing her assent?  
In his mind, he was supreme.  
She could see it in his face;  
Lust, ferality, desire, obsession.  
 _She always had._

 _~.~._

Their wedding was extravagant. Lavish. Perfect, in a way.  
To Neji, at least.  
He was clan head. A Bunke clan head. That in itself was flattering.  
The woman who was the road to his titles did what she was expected to without a complain.  
Showed up looking her best.  
Said her vows properly.  
Thanked the people who congratulated them.  
Let him have his way with her that night.  
Kept her sentiments locked up perfectly.  
A perfect porcelain doll; alluring to look at, great to show off to the world.  
Empty on the inside.

~.~.~.~

Their children were perfect.  
Beautiful and strong; like him.  
They barely knew their mother. To them, she was just the frail, pallid woman who had once been beautiful, who played the _shamisen_ all day by herself, weaved tapestries and woollens for the children, or plebeianly cared for the lawns. Who was gentle in demeanour and gave off an aura of fragility.  
Weakness is contagious, they said.  
Don't get too close to her.  
So they didn't.

~.~.~.~.

He loved her, didn't he?  
He'd die for her, wouldn't he?  
Not anymore.  
She was alive, wasn't she?  
She certainly could have every luxury possible at her fingertips is she wished.  
Her few preferences in life were none of his concern now.  
He had children to train, a clan to lead.  
No more time for a woman he had once possessed so much ardour for.  
Their conversations were few- to the point and short, nothing more; nothing less.  
Yet, every fortnight, her moans echoed in his on their incestuous bed of lust and _lies_ , both giving in to carnal needs.  
That's what their marriage was, in the end; till his death after fifty long years did them more apart than they already were-  
One elaborate _deal_ with bonus benefits.  
Not love. Never love.

But almost.

* * *

"A mighty pain to love it is,

And 'tis a pain that pain to miss;

But of all pains, the greatest pain

It is to love, but love in vain"

\- Abraham Crowley

* * *

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